Employee Performance Goals

Employee Performance Goals

Employee performance goals are performance expectations related to his or her job tasks and responsibilities that are to be accomplished over the course of a business year.

Performance goals are accomplishments set for specific duties or tasks related to an employee’s job position. These goals should be aligned with the overall organizational goals and specific department goals. Setting individual performance goals that are aligned with upper level goals provides a network of goals for the organization. It ties the larger organizational and department goals to the smaller goals of each employee. This way the entire organization is working together to accomplish their strategic objectives.

Purpose of Employee Performance Goals

The purpose of creating employee performance goals is to:

promote planning throughout the organization

provide guidance and direction for employees

inform employees what is expected of them in their position

help ensure everyone is working towards the overall organization’s goals

help the employee understand the direction of the organization and what is important

enable employees to plan and organize their work and prioritize tasks

motivate and inspire employees

gauge employee performance

inform employees how they are performing

accurately compensate him or her based on performance

Benefits of Setting Performance Goals

By setting and completing performance goals, employees are better able to:

know what needs to be accomplished and what is expected of them

make their own decisions about how to spend their work time

take on additional responsibilities

monitor their own progress and see accomplishments

learn how to handle obstacles and setbacks

develop additional job knowledge and skills

support or advance the organization’s objectives, vision, mission, and strategies

plan and implement projects and initiatives for the organization

be more self-directed and autonomous

work without constant supervision

Effective Employee Performance Goals

To be effective, it is important that performance goals are:

written

clearly defined

specific

easy to measure

understandable

achievable

motivating

directly related to job responsibilities

connected and aligned to the organization’s goals and objectives

Writing Performance Goals as SMART Goals

Performance goals are most effective if they are written as SMART goals. SMART is an acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

Specific – The goal should be detailed and state the exact level of performance expected. Explain with enough detail so it can be clearly understood by all those involved in its completion.

Measurable – The goal should contain a measurable indicator to assess the amount of progress and to definitely determine if the goal has been accomplished (How much? How many? How well?)

Achievable – The goal should challenge and stretch the employee’s abilities, but realistically be able to be attained. Ensure the necessary resources are available to achieve the goal.

Relevant –The goal should align with and advance the organization’s vision, mission, and strategies. It should be directly related to the employee’s job responsibilities.

Time-bound –The goal should specify when the result(s) will be achieved. There should be a target date for completion.

Managing Employee Goals

Monitor Throughout Year

Although attention on performance goals typically happens at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year (annual evaluation process), goal setting is more successful when goals are monitored throughout the year. Therefore, employee and supervisors should periodically review and discuss the status of goals and make adjustments to remain on track toward completion.

Reward Employees

In order for the goal setting process to be effective, the organization needs to reward employees who achieve their goals. If there is no recognition or reward system, it will affect employee motivation going forward. They will be less inclined to reach or exceed their goals if they feel there is no benefit to them. However, by honoring employee’s efforts, it demonstrates that the organization values their commitment and hard work.